Tex-Mex Black Bean Quesadillas with Avocado-Edamame Cream
Some recipes stand out precisely because they bring together ingredients you would not necessarily expect to find in the same dish.
These quesadillas start with a very familiar Tex-Mex combination: tortillas, black beans, corn, chilli, red pepper and melted cheese. So far, everything feels quite familiar. But the accompaniment changes the idea completely: instead of classic guacamole, they are served with an avocado and edamame cream.
Edamame is not a traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine. It is young green soybean, much more closely associated with East Asian cooking. That is exactly what made this combination interesting to try.
The result works surprisingly well: the quesadillas are crisp on the outside, creamy and flavourful inside, while the avocado-edamame cream adds freshness, a different texture and a milder flavour than traditional guacamole.
One of those recipes that fits perfectly into Mi cocina entre mundos.
Serves: 2
Preparation time: about 40–45 minutes
Ingredients
For the quesadillas
- 4 wheat tortillas, about 20 cm
- 140 g cooked and drained black beans
- 75 g drained sweetcorn
- ½ red pepper
- ¼–½ red onion, depending on size
- ½ fresh red chilli, or to taste
- 100–120 g grated Cheddar
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
For the avocado-edamame cream
- 125 g frozen shelled edamame
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
- A few coriander leaves, to garnish
Method
1. Prepare the ingredients
Drain the black beans, rinse briefly under cold water and leave them to drain well.
Drain the sweetcorn as well.
Cut the red pepper into small dice. Finely chop the onion and chilli. For less heat, remove the seeds and pale inner membranes from the chilli.
Chop the coriander and set aside.
2. Cook the edamame
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil.
Add the frozen edamame and cook for about 4–5 minutes, until tender but still slightly firm.
Drain and briefly rinse with cold water.
Reserve about 25–30 g whole edamame. The rest will be blended with the avocado.
3. Prepare the filling
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the red pepper and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
Add the chilli, corn and cumin. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the black beans and cook for a further 1–2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the fresh coriander and mix gently.
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper or cumin if necessary.
Avocado-edamame cream
With Thermomix®
Place the avocado, about 95–100 g cooked edamame, 2 tbsp lime juice, a pinch of salt and black pepper in the mixing bowl.
Blend for 10 seconds / speed 5.
Scrape down the sides with the spatula, then blend again for 10–15 seconds / speed 6.
If the cream is too thick, add another teaspoon of lime juice.
Fold in the reserved whole edamame gently with the spatula.
Without Thermomix®
Place the avocado, edamame, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender.
Blend until thick and creamy.
Fold in the reserved whole edamame at the end.
Assemble the quesadillas
Place one tortilla on a work surface.
Spread some of the filling over it, leaving a border of about 1–1.5 cm around the edge.
Add a generous layer of grated Cheddar.
Top with a second tortilla.
Repeat to make the second quesadilla.
Cook in the pan
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
Add one quesadilla and cook for about 3–4 minutes on the first side, until golden and crisp.
Turn it with a wide spatula.
Cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the cheese has completely melted.
Remove from the pan and leave to rest for about 1 minute before cutting.
Repeat with the second quesadilla.
Serving
Cut each quesadilla into four triangles.
Serve hot with the avocado-edamame cream.
Garnish the cream with a few whole edamame and fresh coriander leaves.
Add lime wedges to the plate for serving.
Note
Although this recipe uses ingredients associated with Tex-Mex cooking, the avocado-edamame cream is a contemporary combination and is not intended to be a traditional guacamole.
Edamame can be bought frozen, either in the pod or already shelled. Shelled edamame is especially convenient for this recipe.
Depending on the country, it may be labelled as edamame, green soybeans or young soybeans.
My result
Cheddar worked particularly well here: it adds enough flavour and melts beautifully without overpowering the black bean and vegetable filling.
The avocado-edamame cream was the most unexpected part of the dish. It has a slightly firmer texture than traditional guacamole, and the edamame gives it a mild vegetal flavour that pairs very well with the hot quesadillas.
